One example of an eye disorder is macular edema. Macular edema causes distorted vision due to a buildup of fluid in the macula due to damaged blood vessels in the retina. Common causes of blood vessel damage in the retina include diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and cataract surgery. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of macular edema, affecting up to 80% of the diabetic population in the US, and is a leading cause of blindness if left untreated.
Current treatments for macular edema involve first trying to treat the underlying cause, such as diabetes, and then directly treating the damage in the retina. The standard treatment for the damage in the retina is laser surgery to seal leaking blood vessels in the retina. However, laser surgery requires a long recovery time (between 3-6 months) and, even after the long recovery time, does not always improve the patient's vision. Other treatments for the damage in the retina include virectomy, anti-inflammatory treatments, and injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. The above-mentioned treatments are invasive and risk failing to treat the macular edema and creating further vision problems. A low-cost and effective alternative or adjunctive treatment would greatly improve the treatment outcomes of patient's with macular edema and many other disorders of the eye.